Stirling North, South Australia

Stirling North is a town located 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of Port Augusta in the Australian state of South Australia.[4] Its origin was as a reliable watering point in low-rainfall country, used by Aboriginal people since time immemorial, and by settlers since the 1850s. Few people lived there until about 100 houses were built in the 1980s for railway employees and their families – Stirling North railway station has been an important railway junction for up to four main lines. Subsequent residential development was substantial; now the town serves essentially as a satellite to Port Augusta. From a population of 350 in 2008,[6] Stirling North had a population of 2793 at the 2021 census.[7]

Stirling North
South Australia
Stirling North is located in South Australia
Stirling North
Stirling North
Coordinates32°31′12″S 137°50′13″E[1]
Population2,793 (SAL 2021)[2]
Established1859 (sub-division)
17 February 1994 (locality)[1][3]
Postcode(s)5710[4]
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location311 km (193 mi) North West of Adelaide
LGA(s)City of Port Augusta
RegionFar North[1]
CountyFrome[1]
State electorate(s)Stuart
Federal division(s)Grey
Mean max temp[5] Mean min temp[5] Annual rainfall[5]
24.7 °C
76 °F		 13.6 °C
56 °F		 257.0 mm
10.1 in
Localities around Stirling North:
Wami Kata Wami Kata
 Saltia
Port Augusta
Port Paterson		 Stirling North Saltia
Woolundunga
Port Paterson Port Paterson
Woolundunga		 Woolundunga
FootnotesLocation[4]
Adjoining suburbs[1]

History

The locality that became Stirling North was originally known by settlers as Minchin Well, named after Henry Paul Minchin, the Sub-protector of Aborigines, who is known to have visited Aboriginal people at their camp next to a spring they had used for millennia. In 1854 he organised a well to be dug. Later, a standpipe was constructed to provide water for livestock and people. In 1859 Robert Barr Smith laid out a township and named it Stirling after Edward Stirling, his business partner in Elder Smith & Co. Ltd, the firm that became the large agribusiness company, Elders Limited.[note 1] Lands Department plans, however, show two towns, as laid out by R.B. Smith in 1859: Stirling North on section 10 and Stirling South on section 870, Hundred of Davenport.[6] 

In 1871, it was reported that "The Stirling North Pound was opened ... and a lot of goats were among the first inmates".[6]

In 1916, the state's Nomenclature Committee proposed a change to "Catninga", the name of a creek flowing in the area.[6] Later in the year, however, the official name became Stirling North.[8]

Only in 1994 were suburban boundaries assigned.[1][3]

Facilities

Stirling North is situated at the base of the Southern Flinders Ranges. A junction of the northbound Augusta Highway and the eastbound Flinders Ranges Way adjoins the town,[9] so it is commonly visited by travellers needing a service stop but who have no need to travel the extra 8 kilometres (5.0 miles) into Port Augusta. The town has a few services including hotel accommodation, food shops, general store, fuel outlets, a post office and public telephones.[10] Sporting venues include a golf course and tennis court, bike track and public park.[6]

A weekday local bus service operates between the Port Augusta city centre and Stirling North.[11]

The town's historic Davenport Reservoir and Storage Tank is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[12]

Notes
  1. Edward Stirling's friendship with Peter D. Prankerd had also resulted in the town of Stirling in the Adelaide Hills being named after him, five years earlier.[6]

References
  1. "Search results for 'Stirling North, LOCB' with the following datasets being selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Postcodes', 'Counties', 'Hundreds', 'Local Government Areas', 'SA Government Regions', 'Railway' and 'Gazetteer'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Stirling North (Suburb and Locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
  3. "Geographical Names Act 1991, Notice to Assign" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian Government. 17 February 1994. p. 482. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  4. "Search result for " Stirling North (SUB)" (Record no SA0063254)". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure , Government of South Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  5. "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics Port Augusta Power Station (nearest station)". Commonwealth of Australia , Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  6. Manning, Geoffrey H. (2012). "A compendium of the place names of South Australia". State Library of South Australia. p. 70 of section S. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  7. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Stirling North (State Suburb)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  8. South Australian State Gazetteer, Stirling North, archived from the original on 30 September 2007, retrieved 15 May 2007 Nomenclature Committee's second report dated 7 November 1916 (Parliamentary Paper 67/1916)
  9. "Port Augusta City Council Rural Roads" (PDF). The Government of South Australia. November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  10. "Stirling North", Flinders Ranges and Outback Town Directory, archived from the original on 29 August 2007, retrieved 15 May 2007
  11. "Port Augusta Bus Service – timetable" (PDF). Port Augusta City Council. 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  12. "Davenport Reservoir and Storage Tank". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
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